Helena United F.C.
| dissolved = | ground = North Coast Stadium | capacity = 14,650 | owner = | chairman = | manager = Rem Stahl | coach = | currentleague = League A | currentposition = | lastseason = | lastleaguea = League A | lastposition = 1st | current = | website = | firstgame = | largestwin = | worstdefeat = | topscorer = | fansgroup = | honours = | American = }} Helena United Football Club is a professional football club based in Helena Point, St. Gregory. The team plays in League A, the top division of the St. Gregory Football Association, and are defending champions of the league after winning their maiden title in 2018-19. The club was founded in 1990 and joined the newly-formed League C for its inaugural season. United were established at the same time as their local rivals, Helena Point Rangers. Both clubs play at the 14,650-capacity Muller Stadium (currently known as North Coast Stadium for sponsorship reasons) and contest the Helena Point derby. Helena United have historically been favored by Helena Point's sizable Dutch population, largely due to the club's primary color of orange, which was chosen in part because of its association with the Dutch national team (in turn taken from the House of Orange-Nassau). The club has a history of employing Dutch players and coaching staff; the current manager (Rem Stahl) and most recent former captain (Wim Dekker) are both Dutch. Considered a yo-yo club for many years due to promotion and relegation between the top two tiers of Gregorian football, United established themselves with a 6th-place finish in League A in 2014-15, at the time a best-ever finish for the club. They set a new club record in 2017-18 with 58 points and a 3rd-place finish, and also won the 2018 SGFA Cup Final to claim their first major trophy. They were League A champions in 2018-19, the first such title for a Helena Point club. History Rem Stahl years (2011-present) In 2011, the club hired Dutchman Rem Stahl, known for his flamboyant personality and outspoken interview style, to be their manager. Stahl called a press conference for the club, who were then still in League B, and famously said: "If you give me five years, I will make this club contend on the national stage." Given what was considered an outlandish budget for a second-tier Gregorian club to rebuild the roster, Stahl recruited his countryman Wim Dekker to control the midfield, and brought in future club and national team stalwart Kirk Hedley on defense. The club finished Stahl's first season in third place and despite losing the promotion playoff final to Forest United, the team appeared to be heading in the right direction. Konrad Sobieski was brought in to start in goal and the club invested heavily in expanding its youth academy with the intent to develop local talent for the future. United finished as runners-up in League B in 2012-13, earning promotion to League A. The following year, they survived a late-season slide to finish in 13th, above the relegation places and ensuring a return to top flight football. 2014-15 would be a watershed year for United. They finished a club-high 6th in League A thanks to a 19-goal season from local favorite Jason Crane-Carson and stellar goalkeeping from Sobieski, leading many in St. Gregory's football press to declare that Stahl had made good on his promise to make the club a contender, with a year to spare. They matched that finish the following year after spending further in the transfer market to acquire Scottish wing-back Laird Hughes, who assisted on the match-winning goal on his debut in a win over Winston Beach. The highlight of the season, however, was a 2-1 win at Bonneville United, the Tigers' first-ever away win over Les Bleus. A third consecutive sixth-place finish followed in 2016-17, with the club also reaching the semi-finals of the SGFA Cup before losing in extra time to eventual winners, Rivergate. In 2017-18, the club reached new heights by racking up 58 points and going undefeated in all 15 home matches to finish 3rd in League A. They capped off the best season in club history by winning the 2018 SGFA Cup Final over Starrs County to earn their first major trophy. United began their 2018-19 league campaign by winning 8 of their first 10 matches, losing only once in that time – a 1-0 away defeat to RivalSport. Although their Cup defense came to an end at the hands of New Castle in the quarter-finals, and despite stumbling to a 2-2 draw in their final league match of the season – also against New Castle – the Tigers benefited from Bonneville United's failure to win their final fixture against Calabria, and thus Helena United were crowned champions of League A for the first time in their history. Colors, crest and nickname Helena United play in orange and black and are nicknamed The Tigers; a pair of tigers are featured on the club crest. Like other clubs in St. Gregory's north-west like Swifton Athletic and Holland County, United's use of orange has found favor with the region's large Dutch community, as orange is the historic national color of the Netherlands and is used by most of that country's national sports teams. In addition, the colors were chosen for their high contrast to blue and white, the colors worn by their local rivals, Rangers. Kit manufacturers and sponsors Support Rivalries :Main article: Helena Point derby United contest the Helena Point derby with cross-town rivals, Helena Point Rangers. The two teams were entered simultaneously into professional competition in 1990 and have played each other regularly since United's return to League A (Rangers have never been relegated from League A since their first season in that league, 1995-96). Players Current squad : As of August 13, 2019 Note: Players without a flag are from St. Gregory. Players with an asterisk (*) are from outside the United States or its territories, or have represented a non-U.S. territory at international level, but hold either citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S. and thus do not count towards the league cap on foreign players. Out on loan Reserves and Academy :Further information: Helena United F.C. Reserves and Academy Former players :Further information: Category:Helena United F.C. players Managerial history :Further information: Category:Helena United F.C. managers Honors * League A :Champions (1): 2018-19 * SGFA Cup :Winners (1): 2017-18 Category:Helena United F.C. Category:Club pages